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I'm perfectly fine with used. Is there a good place to buy hospital beds online? I tried calling a couple of companies offering used beds locally but they both seem to be home based operations where I can't even see the bed beforehand. Also, the prices didn't seem much lower than some new beds I've searched for online. Do people have any recommendations?


What's the story with Medicare paying for it? A SNF suggested I get one because it will be needed but when I asked if Medicare would pay for it they said probably not since the criteria for that is high. So we need one but not enough for Medicare to pay for it?


Since they are telling me I would only get a couple of days warning before any possible discharge, I'm feeling kind of anxious to have one ready to go at any time. So I may just buy one on my own instead of having to deal with not having one when it's critically needed.


Any advice on how and where to get a hospital bed is appreciated. I have looked on craigslist, but in my area at least. It seems cheaper to buy new online.

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I would go to a store that sells nothing but durable equipment. They can tell u if Medicare will cover the bed. Get a doctor to give u an order for a hospital bed. With a bed, Medicare usually rents it. You can also do this. Costs at least $100 a month but I think after a certain time, u own it.

I worked for Visiting Nurses who had a loan closet. We charged a deposit fee.
Check with ur Fire Company to see if they loan out beds. I live in NJ so we have Rotaries, Lions Clubs, Masons and Ruritan Clubs.
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You have to get Primary Care Physician to write a script for a hospital bed. They fax it to Medicare. A medical supply company will send it & set it up.
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I got info from a few medicare approved vendors. They all told me "medicare will not pay for a full electric bed". Which is what I expected since medicare says as much. So does the supplemental insurance. The electric up and down is the feature needed. Not needed most, but the only feature needed to get in and out of bed.

One medicare vendor was very frank. He said after the copay and the cost to cover the upgrade to full electric paid out of pocket, it would probably be cheaper to buy our own on Amazon. Since the medicare prices are higher. So that's what we did. Buying a new bed on Amazon was only about $40 more than buying a used bed from a local vendor.
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Is the person that needs the bed eligible for Hospice? Hospice will provide a bed.
Check with a local senior group in your area many people will be willing to donate a hospital bed but most places can not accept a bed as a donation (at least they will not accept a mattress)
Your local health department might have a lending closet for medial equipment.
Check listings like Craigs List or many cities have a face book page of on line garage sale items.
Check with Assisted Living, Memory Care facilities, ask for a Social Worker when you call. they may know of families of residents that are looking to get rid of such equipment.
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I would vote against buying one in advance. Medicare does pay for a hospital bed with a script from the doctor. There is a church group in central NJ that collects durable medical equipment and lends it out to others. If you are anywhere near that, I can pass along that information. Or, there may be a similar group in your locale. Sometimes, Goodwill has separate collection locations for medical equipment.
Hospial beds can appear in a matter of hours. The social worker orders it and it arrives at your home. ALSO, many SNFs or assisted living facilities have MANY hospital beds.
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Medicare part B pays for it, it’s durable medical equipment but it must be medically necessary and you need a ‘script from a doctor. Another alternative is hospice, which as you know, is no longer just for people at the end of life with -6 months left.
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Can people that have had medicare pay for it, how much was your out of pocket to pay for the 20% medicare didn't cover? We would need a full electric. The up and down would be critical for it's use to get in and then out of bed. I understand medicare doesn't cover full electrics so we would have to pay 100% of the difference.

I'm just trying to get a feel for the cost since the medicare prices can be high compared to market prices. So 20% of a high price may not save much money. When my dad got his doctor ordered walker covered by medicare, the copay was $25. It took a few days to arrive. When I got a walker for mom, I bought exactly the same walker and paid $29 and it showed up the next day.

Right now I'm looking at $900 for a full electric bed including half rails and the mattress. How does that compare to the medicare copay with the upgrade to full electric?
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https://www.payingforseniorcare.com/financial-assistance/home-hospital-beds.html

First, talk to the doctor about whether s/he will prescribe it as medically necessary.

If there is a supplemental or Medigap policy, that will pick up the 20%

There is also a rent to own provision, explained in the link.
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